women read

Name : Gillian Reading : A Time in Rome, Elizabeth Bowen Why did you want to read this? I wanted to read A Time in Rome because Rome is my first city, in every sense (I went aged 17 and lived there for six months; I’d never been out of England before), and Elizabeth Bowen is a peerless writer, a near favourite. Yet I only discovered it before my most recent visit. 1959, 2018, same Rome. How did yo...

Name : Catherine   Reading : Good Morning, Midnight, Jean Rhys   Why did you want to read this? I wanted to read Good Morning, Midnight because it has been my favourite book since I first read it, over ten years ago, aged 19. It’s hard to explain why something is your favourite book, like asking why you love someone, but I think the tragedy of the story appeals to me. I’m drawn...

Name : Stella Reading : Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen Why did you want to read this? I studied this classic book at school and loved it, aided by an excellent English teacher. I enjoyed the antiquated but relatively accessible language/wit as well as the colourful ensemble of characters. Of course, my naive teenage self fell in love with the lively heroine, Elizabeth Bennet (see also, Jane Eyre...

Name : Kelly  Reading : Tender at the Bone, Ruth Reichl   Why did you want to read this? It had been several years since I'd read Tender, but it was the first book that came to mind. A memoir by American food writer Ruth Reichl, it’s filled with stories that make me laugh and at times almost cry. It was maybe the first 'food writing' I enjoyed reading. One of the most...

Name : Olga Reading : Second-hand Time, Svetlana Alexievich Why did you want to read this? I am interested in the idea of compiling alternative archives and subverting the ‘official’ narratives. The voices in this book belong to a particular time and place, but at the same time speak outside of history; their desires are very human: simultaneous desire for a greater purpose and for a comfortable l...

Name : Fiona  Reading : Circle of Friends, Maeve Binchy   Why did you want to read this? This is one of the most comforting books I've ever read. It reminds me of my mum; years after she had passed away, I found this on a bookshelf and it opened up a whole new world of books for me. Maeve Binchy has been described as a quiet feminist in the past, and while some of the narratives in...

Name : Jade Reading : Racism on the Victorian Stage: Representation of Slavery and the Black Character, Hazel Waters Why did you want to read this? I love reading aloud, and therefore took this opportunity to read aloud for my pleasure, which also, given my anxiety around lack of time, and reading about slavery and racism (which we do so much of alone, and that I can only do intermittently - I am...

Name : Sinae  Reading : Luster, Raven Leilani  Why did you want to read this?  Luster is a book that makes you laugh. You might hear me giggling under my breath while reading it. Of course I have read this chapter before and many in fact since I stuttered too many times. Yet, it still make me laugh. It is about being poor, insecure also wanting more for life and demanding...

Name : Shirin Reading : Don Quixote, Kathy Acker Why did you want to read this? To me Kathy Acker’s writing represents possibility. Her work taught me that everything is possible: rules can not only be bent but forgone entirely. Acker’s stories are deeply rooted in our violent heteropatriarchal capitalist reality, but often veer toward an oneiric dimension which I like to think a reminder to wield...

Name : Mel Reading : Ducks, Newburyport, Lucy Ellmann Why did you want to read this? Ducks has been mine and freya's beloved lockdown companion. My attention wanders as often as the narrator's and I feel less bad about myself while reading pun after excellent pun. I'm sure ducks is actually a fancy magic trick. Whatever you have been thinking about will appear in the pages you read - a chocolate p...

Name: Freya Reading: Things I don’t Want to Know, Deborah Levy Why did you want to read this? I’ve been a bit fan-girly about Deborah Levy since I first read this - slowly reading my way through all her books ‘cos I knew I’d be sad when I’d finished them. There is something about her writing that makes me feel like I’m being sucker punched at intervals -- the observation is just so RIGHT, argh, yo...